Last Child
by Phantom SunsSong
Summary: Winry always wanted to help Ed and Al in their search to restore themselves. She just didn't think that in doing so, she'd be introducing them to a young dragon... Manga based, spoilers for later chapters. Starts around chapter 64.
1. Lost

A/N: Originally, this was going to be a one-shot, except while I was writing, I got an idea for a plot, so… Yeah. I'm not sure how long it'll be.

Also, this is my first Fullmetal Alchemist fanfiction, so I'd really appreciate any constructive criticism you guys can give me, especially when it comes to how the characters are acting. I feel like half the time when I write, the characters are OOC, even my original ones. xP So, read on, and hopefully you enjoy this first chapter of Last Child.

Oh, and the story is mangaverse if anything, though there won't be any spoilers for a while at least. Really, I suppose it could be either, but I'm more familiar with the manga.

Disclaimer: I own my own characters, the plot, and nothing else. I'll expand more upon exactly what I own in later disclaimers, because I don't want to give anything away. Anyway, all rights to Fullmetal Alchemist are owned by Hiromu Arakawa, who I will never be. I'm merely borrowing the characters and setting.

**Last Child**

_Chapter One: Lost_

_Where am I? _The words echoed in her head, only adding to the confusion and fear she felt. Eyes wide, she stumbled forward another step. Everything was so strange, nothing familiar. There was too much green, green everywhere, and the blue sky was full of white puffy clouds, so different from the wispy, hardly there clouds at home. She closed her large eyes, trying to shield them from the dizzying amount of plants around her. She longed for the warm sand beneath her feet, the soft tan that enveloped the dry landscape in the desert.

Where was she? She didn't know. How had she gotten there? She didn't know that either. Most importantly, where was home? She blinked away tears at that thought. She couldn't afford to waste precious water on tears. What would her mother say?

_Oh, Mama_… Unable to hold back her emotions and exhaustion any longer, she fell into the soft grass. It might have been comforting, if only it had felt more like sand. She only cried harder.

"Hello? Is someone there?" She choked back a sob. A voice… What was it? Who was it? Was it her mother? No. Someone else? The accent was strange, but feminine. She didn't want to meet the owner of the voice before she saw them. She only just managed to pull herself into the branches of a plant that was far too leafy when she heard the sound of footsteps. Her breath caught. Was it… A human? Only two feet, swift, purposeful steps… It had to be. She got as low to the ground as she could, but there was a break in the leaves above her. She could look out, but the human could not see her as easily.

Finally, the human came into sight. She was startled by her appearance. The young human was pale, very pale, and seemed almost to have no color in her skin compared to the few humans she'd seen at home. Her hair was bright yellow, like spun sunlight, partially covered by a red cloth that tied it back, and her eyes held a blue intensity reminiscent of the sky. She wore the strange skins of all humans. From what she could see of the torso, this one wore only a strip of cloth to cover her chest. Her long, gangly legs were covered by tubes of more cloth, and yet another piece of the artificial skin was tied loosely about her waist.

"That's strange," she heard the human say quietly. "I thought I heard crying." She laughed uneasily. "I must be hearing things again…" As the human turned, she made a decision. She had to reveal herself. She was lost, and she needed help. There didn't seem to be any of her kind here, and this human was the first living thing she'd seen… since she'd left home. And they were nice enough at home. Except… Well, this young one didn't have the look that those scary humans had, the look of a predator. So, when the human began to walk away, she dragged herself forward.

"Wait," she pleaded, her voice hoarse from crying and tiredness. "Please… Help me…" The human turned, and she felt blackness looming in around her. She couldn't stop it. Once the human saw her, she was enveloped in darkness.

---

Winry couldn't suppress a gasp as the creature that had called to her slumped fully to the ground. It seemed so absurd, she almost couldn't say what she thought it was. A dragon… Could it be real?

It seemed real enough. Two pairs of large, leathery brown wings covered most of the small dragon's body, so that she could see little else aside from the small head. It looked so little, helpless, like a child. And it had spoken, she'd heard it. Whatever it was, it was young, and sentient. She couldn't leave it out there to die, whatever it was.

Winry picked up the small creature, surprised by its warm, smooth scales. She gently turned it over, cradling it in her arm. The underside of the dragon was the same light, sandy brown as the top had been. It had two legs, with feet that reminded her of a bird. It was also very light, in regards to its size. Winry frowned slightly in worry. Careful not to jostle it too much in her arms, she carried it back to the house.

"Granny?" She called as she entered the building, looking around. The older woman was nowhere to be seen. Sighing, she gently laid the dragon down on the spacious kitchen table, and quickly rifled through several drawers, looking for warm towels to bundle the young creature in. She smiled wryly to herself as she found the correct one. It had been a while since she'd last been home. Ever since beginning to work in Rush Valley, she'd been swamped with people wanting her to build automail, or fix what they had. She hated leaving her customers, but there were times that she had to get away, to see her grandmother. Pinako was getting on in age, even if the older woman didn't want to admit it, and Winry wanted to spend every minute she could spare with her.

As she bundled up the dragon, she noticed that one of its lower wings were crooked. Compared to the others, it was bent at an odd angle. She bit her lip, realizing immediately that it was broken. Carefully, she straightened it out, trying not to wake up the exhausted creature. Even though it had fainted, it now seemed almost to be sleeping peacefully.

She quietly began looking through drawers again, trying to find something she could use as a splint. She'd heard that wings in birds were fragile, and if they didn't set properly, the bird might never fly again. She could only assume that this creature's wings were similar.

"Winry, are you back?" She started, and stifled a yelp at Pinako's voice. Abandoning her search for the moment, she moved to the doorway of the kitchen. A short elderly woman stood at the foot of the stairs. Her long gray hair was pulled into a bun, and small glasses sat on the tip of the nose on her round face. A long apron covered most of her front, but under it, she wore a dark colored shirt and pants.

"There you are, I—Winry, what's wrong?" Winry sighed inwardly. She never could hide her feelings from Pinako.

"I found…something…while I was out walking. I think it's injured," she replied.

"You mean an animal?"

"Well, kinda." Winry stepped back to allow her grandmother a view of the kitchen table, where the dragon lay, supported by towels and with a wing stretched out. Moving quickly for an old woman, she walked to the side of the table, inspecting the dragon.

"The wing is broken," she commented matter-of-factly, looking at it closely through her small glasses. The tiny woman quickly hurried over to a counter, and opened a drawer. Inside was a first aid box. She took it out quietly, opened the top, and pulled out a long piece of wood, a roll of medical tape, and gauze bandages. With deft hands, she moved the broken wing until it was properly aligned, causing the dragon to twitch in pain even in its sleep. She then laid down the splint and wrapped the gauze around both wing and splint, effectively holding them both in place. She ripped off a piece of the tape to keep the bandage from unraveling, and then eyed her handiwork.

"Thanks, Granny," Winry said with relief, looking down at the still-peaceful dragon. It hadn't woken up yet.

"Do you have any idea what this is, Winry?" The girl blinked, surprised by her grandmother's very serious tone.

"I—no, I don't," she stuttered. The small woman sighed.

"Neither do I. Should we call the Elrics?" Winry started.

"Ed and Al? But why?"

"Well, they travel around a lot," Pinako replied. "They might have heard of something like this. I'll see if I can get a hold of them." She walked off to get to a phone. Winry sighed, apparently left to the task of watching the young draconic creature. She lowered herself into one of the chairs by the table, and glanced over at the dragon. Only the head was really visible, as covered up as it was in the towels. It was small, supported by a long neck, and almost smooth. The only spines on it that she could see were one right above each of its large eyes. And as she watched, one of those eyes twitched, and fluttered open.

---

A/N: I know it's short, I'm sorry. That's just where I needed to cut it off. The next chapter will be longer, I promise. Plus, Ed and Al will be in it. Please drop me a review if you liked it. They inspire me to write faster. And again, I love constructive criticism.


	2. Dragon Speaker

A/N: I apologize for taking so long to get this second chapter up, but I noticed a huge plot hole while I was writing it, which I somehow managed to fix without needing to change the first chapter. Then, after that, when I needed to rewrite most of the chapter, I got writer's block. Very opportune time, right? xP The good news is, I'm over it now, so the next few chapters should take considerably less time to get up. And, with any luck, they'll be longer.

I'm not particularly proud of this chapter, either, but I get the point across, anyway. Its main purpose is simply to set the stage and explain some stuff. Things should pick up some in the next couple of chapters, but we won't really get into the plot until Ed and Al get to Briggs.

Warning: Due to changes I had to make in the plot, this chapter, and the rest of the story, has spoilers for the Fullmetal Alchemist manga up to chapter 64, and the rest of the story will have spoilers beyond that, because it will, to some extent, follow the events of the manga.

And also, this story takes place just before Ed and Al leave for Briggs, and the 'talk' they have with Major Armstrong has changed to some extent to better fit what I need to happen for plot purposes. You'll see what I mean.

Disclaimer: If I owned FMA, it would have dragons in it. Or, at least, more than just Envy in Conqueror of Shambala. I do, however, own all my dragons, and I reserve the right to feed you to them if you try to steal them. P They don't like being stolen, I assure you.

_Chapter Two: Dragon Speaker_

"C'mon Al, we're gonna be late for the train!" A small figure pushed past a crowd of people. A few glared at the young man, but he ignored the looks. He was too busy worrying about other things. Heavy black boots pounded the concrete, and harsh artificial lighting shown from above in the cavernous space that held the trains before their departure, keeping the elements away from the boarding passengers.

Edward Elric finally reached the train and turned back towards the crowd, shielding golden eyes with a white-gloved hand. With his bright blonde hair tied back into a braid, he looked almost feminine, but his face, set in a determined half smile, proclaimed that he was, in fact, a boy, albeit older than he seemed. He once again wore his familiar red and black outfit, after finding a new pair of boots and transmuting some old clothing. To be truthful, he wasn't even sure where he'd lost his red jacket, but he wasn't about to go looking for it. More likely than not, wherever it had ended up, it was probably destroyed or unreachable.

Just as the locomotive whistled loudly for the last of the passengers to board, Ed caught sight of a familiar suit of armor shuffling through the throng of people, apologizing to anyone he bumped into, which was pretty much everyone. Finally, Alphonse broke through and quickly came to his brother's side.

"Sorry Brother!" He mumbled quickly in apology.

"It's fine, let's go." Ed simply waved a hand dismissively, and quickly stepped onto the steps leading into the train, holding his brown suitcase with the other. Al followed suit, and they managed to get inside just as the train lurched forward.

It wasn't hard for the two to find a place to sit. The car they had entered was all but empty, the only occupant being a lone man reading a newspaper. The brothers took a seat as far away from him as they could get, hoping to get a little privacy.

Ed practically sprawled out on the uncomfortable bench, sighing with relief. Finally, they were going somewhere. Anymore, staying in one place too long made him anxious, especially when he felt like an answer to their problems was dangling just out of reach, like a carrot on a string. Granted, there was this whole plot with the homunculi to worry about as well, but he had to be careful about how he tried to deal with that. They still didn't know for sure what was going on, but jumping in without a plan and hoping for the best wasn't going to cut it any more. And before they could really do anything, they needed to find out more about the alchemy in Xing. To do that, they had to follow that girl with the weird black and white cat, and get her to tell them.

"Brother?" Ed was jolted out of his thoughts by Al. "Brother, I think we forgot something."

"What d'you mean?" Ed replied, sounding skeptical. "What was there to forget? We go to Rush Valley, get some new automail, and head north to catch up with the bean girl." It had been lucky that they'd stayed as long as they did in Central. After all, they'd had that run in with Major Armstrong. Under normal circumstances, they tried to stay as far away from the large state alchemist as they could, but for once, it turned out to be a good thing. Who knew that his sister was the commander of Briggs, the fortress in the north? He had also been the one to tell them that regular automail froze in the harsh conditions of the Briggs mountain range, and that they'd need to go see Winry in Rush Valley before they went out. In fact, that was where their train was headed. Then it hit him.

"Aw, crap," he said, a little too loudly, as he closed his eyes and grimaced. "We forgot to call Winry. She's gonna kill us."

---

The dragon opened her eyes carefully, blinking back sleepiness. Where was she? This wasn't her home… The events from before she fainted slowly came back, filling in the fuzzy places in her memories.

There had been humans, too many, in strange blue skins. Chaos, fire, screams… She shivered. Her mother yelling at her to fly. Then she was in the sky. The desert stretched out below her, but she didn't dare stop. Not until long after the sand gave way to fields of green.

She had crashed, exhausted, and tried to find somewhere to go. And the human with hair like the sun and eyes like the sky…

She climbed to her feet quickly, looking around as she did. She was surrounded on all sides by walls, far too straight and perfect to be natural. Even the wood under her had been shaped to be completely flat. It was strange and foreign, and everything was too big.

Her amber gaze shifted to the side, and she came face to face with the human from before. The girl's lips curved up into a smile.

"You feel a bit better now?" She asked kindly, a great contrast to the humans that had attacked her home. Slowly, the dragon nodded.

"I'm Winry," the girl continued. "Do you have a name?" Again, she nodded.

"Amaiy," the dragon replied, then berated herself. Humans didn't understand Dragon Tongue, the language of dragons. Her mother had told her often enough. Not since two species had separated, and the Dragon Speakers had died out, long before she was born.

"Amaiy?" She started when the human repeated her name. "That's a pretty name." Amaiy only stared in shock.

"You… You understand me?"

"Of course," Winry said, her expression puzzled. "Why wouldn't I?"

"But humans can't understand dragons!" She said quickly. How could this be happening? She wasn't talking any differently. How could Winry understand Dragon Tongue? "Do, do you know any others?"

"So you _are_ a dragon," the girl responded. "But no, I've never seen anything like you. Where did you come from?"

Nothing was making sense. This human had never thought of dragons as being any more than a myth. How could she be a Dragon Speaker? And if she was, how could she and her family gone unnoticed for all this time? From what she'd heard, Dragon Speaking was an inherited trait among humans. You couldn't just randomly develop it—someone in your family had to have had it first.

"Hello, Amaiy? Are you okay?" The dragon started and looked up, into Winry's worried face. The dragon sighed quietly to herself.

"No," she said finally. "Humans can't understand us, and yet, somehow, you can. I don't. . ." She trailed off, thinking about what had happened before she had passed out. She'd always been taught to stay away from humans, to keep herself hidden. And after the attack at her home, by the humans with blue skins, she didn't think she would have willingly revealed herself to a human, no matter how nice they seemed. But Winry… She already felt at ease with her. Like she wasn't a human at all. Could that be what it meant to be a Dragon Speaker?

"Well, we have plenty of time to figure it out," the girl said with a smile. "You can't go anywhere until your wing heals."

"My… Wing?" Amaiy turned her head, spreading all four of her wings carefully. She immediately saw the cloth wrapped around her lower right one, and felt the stout stick that held it in place.

"It was broken," Winry explained, and Amaiy turned back to her. "My grandmother splinted it. You shouldn't try moving it too much until it heals. What did you do to break it, anyway?"

"I was flying," she said truthfully, "and I crashed." She didn't want to explain why she had been flying. Not yet, anyway. She wasn't sure what Winry would think, who she would sympathize with. She didn't want to upset the girl, either.

Winry seemed to recognize the fact that Amaiy didn't want to talk about it, and didn't push the subject. Her smile turned sad, though, as she recognized the pain in the dragon's eyes. Something bad had happened, that much she could tell. She didn't blame Amaiy for not wanting to talk about.

Both turned to the doorway at the sound of footsteps. Both were met with the sight of Pinako. Immediately, Amaiy grew wary, and felt herself slowly moving towards Winry for comfort, steadying herself using a combination of her bird-like feet and her front pair of wings, bent over and touching the smooth surface of the table. It was difficult going, but there really wasn't much space to move, anyway. Amaiy filled most of the table.

"Did you get a hold of them?" Winry asked hopefully, obviously not surprised by the woman's appearance. "Were they still in Central?" Wondering who 'they' were, Amaiy began listening more closely.

"No," Pinako said flatly, causing Winry's mood to deflate. "They'd just left when I called, though."

"Well, did you find out where they were going?" The girl asked, sounding exasperated. "And who did you call anyway?"

"Their hotel," she replied. "You gave me the number at some point, I believe. . . In any case, they said that they plan on going north, but first, they were going to Rush Valley. To see you." Winry scowled.

"Of course," she growled lowly. "And why would they call? It's not like I ever leave, huh? They just assume, and now they'll have to make another trip. At least they'll get here eventually…"

"No, they won't," Pinako cut in matter-of-factly. "You are going to go meet them—and take the dragon, too. If they want to talk to you, it's probably because Ed has done something to his automail, and didn't you leave most of your tools back in Rush Valley? Not to mention your spare parts…" Winry grimaced. Her grandmother was right. She _had_ left most of her tools back in Rush Valley, seeing as her time in Resembool was supposed to be a kind of vacation. Plus, they were heavy and a hassle to lug around.

"Couldn't I just borrow yours?"

"Absolutely not," Pinako said critically. "It'll save time if you just go meet them. I assure you, I won't keel over in a few weeks. I'll still be here when you come back." Slightly alarmed, Winry looked up quickly. She hadn't realized that Pinako had known one of her main reasons for wanting to come to visit, but at the same time, she wasn't overly surprised. She never could hide her feelings from her grandmother.

"Are you sure, Granny?" She asked finally. "Are you sure you're alright with this?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't," Pinako replied with finality. "Now, go. Get your stuff together. And you might want to explain what is going on to your new little friend, too, if she's coming with you." Amaiy started, realizing that the woman was talking about her.

"How'd you know she was a girl?" Winry asked, sounding equally surprised. Pinako just shrugged.

"Call it woman's intuition," was all she said before leaving the room, going off to work on something else. Winry watched the spot for a second, then turned with a sigh, and started explaining the situation to Amaiy.

A/N: Did I get everyone's personality right? I hope so. –sighs- I wrote most of this in one sitting, I'll admit, but I did go over it. In any case, please tell me if you notice any spelling, grammar, or vocabulary mistakes. And don't forget when you review, I love any and all constructive criticism! Please tell me what you think! I'll get up chapter three as soon as possible.


	3. Rush Valley

A/N: Sorry, again, for the wait. This chapter gave me troubles, but I like the outcome, so I won't complain much. I ended up rewriting the end of the chapter, but I added a page in the process, so it's all good.

Warning: This chapter, and the rest of the story, has spoilers for the Fullmetal Alchemist manga up to chapter 64, and the rest of the story will have spoilers beyond that, because it will, to some extent, follow the events of the manga.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. I own the dragons and everything that has to do with them, including names and stuff. Steal them and you will, again, be fed to the more ravenous ones. Most of them wouldn't stoop to eating humans, after all. I could probably convince an Aquofa to…

_Chapter Three: Rush Valley_

Amaiy decided quickly that she didn't like trains. They were small, for one, though not as small as the rooms in Winry's house. But, unlike Winry's house, trains often held many noisy humans in close proximity. Their ceaseless chatter was beginning to get on her nerves, and she was already irritable enough at having to be cooped up in a large zippered cloth bag Winry had found. Not to mention the constant movement, and the fact that her wing had started aching. She ducked her head farther into the bag, stifling a sigh of irritation. The only thing that consoled her was the thought of arriving in Rush Valley.

According to Winry, the large town was much like a desert, dry and brown, with only the occasional plant. Even if it wasn't home, Amaiy knew that she would feel better if she could get somewhere away from all the green, and with a more familiar sky over her head.

"We're almost there," Amaiy heard Winry say quietly, but she didn't dare answer. They had to be careful, with as many people as there were in the car now. If they weren't, there was a possibility that Amaiy could be seen. Amaiy hadn't understood why they needed to be so sneaky, not until Winry had explained to her that humans don't like things that are not familiar to them. And if they encountered something they didn't understand, they wanted to understand it, even if it meant destroying it. Amaiy wasn't really sure what she meant by that, but she didn't think she wanted to find out, either.

She found it surprising that Winry had adapted to the idea of dragons existing so quickly, even if Amaiy hadn't told her much about dragons yet. Maybe it was yet another sign that she was a Dragon Speaker. Along with everything else, it began to make more sense, even if she was the first in who knew how long. Amaiy had been lucky to meet her when she did.

Just as the train began to slow, a loud voice echoed through the train, causing Amaiy to jolt out of her thoughts in surprise.

"Now stopping in Rush Valley," it drawled dully. Amaiy felt a gentle tug on the cloth above her as Winry zipped it, leaving only a tiny space for air, so as not to let anyone get a chance look inside. The girl picked up the bag with care, doing her best not to jostle it. The two exited the train without any mishaps, and were soon out in the open air.

Through the hole in the top of the bag, Amaiy got a wonderful glimpse of the sky. Clear of clouds, it shone a bright and flawless blue. She itched to spread her wings, to glide effortlessly high above the world and troubles far below, but knew she couldn't. She was still too tired to get into the air, even with her rest at the Rockbell's home and on the train, and her wing would never support her weight. Thinking of flying brought another pressing matter to her mind—she hadn't eaten since she left the desert, and she was definitely starting to get hungry. She couldn't get Winry's attention now, though, so she'd just have to wait until they got to wherever it was they were going.

Oblivious to her friend's thoughts, Winry walked through the streets of Rush Valley with practiced ease. She had become very familiar with the place and the people during her stay there. She returned smiles, though was glad that no one stopped her to chat. She wanted to get back to her workroom at Garfiel's shop with Amaiy before anyone noticed the little dragon hiding in her bag. It was risky, keeping her practically out in the open. Winry hated to think of what might happen to her if anyone but Ed and Al were to find out about her.

She recognized the shop owned by her mentor instantly. There weren't any other shops in town with flowers painted on the sign, but then, Garfiel was hardly your regular automail mechanic, if you could ever find a stereotype. She found the buff yet feminine man working on a half-built leg as she opened the door. He lifted his head as the bell tinkled. His dark hair was cut short, but meticulously styled, as was his goatee. He held the wrench in his hand almost tenderly as he coaxed a bolt into its proper place.

"Winry!" He said delightedly, though surprised. "You're back? I thought you were going to stay for a few more weeks."

"Well, as it turns out, two of my regulars are stopping by for a visit," she replied. "I can't very well disappoint them, can I?" Garfiel smiled knowingly.

"The Elric brothers?" Winry nodded, and he continued. "I thought so. Do you know when they'll arrive?"

"Any time now." Winry began to make her way towards a door that led to her own workroom, away from the commotion of customers. Generally, she only used it when she was working fast, and needed to stay up through the night. "I need to get some things together, okay? Tell me when they arrive." Without another word, she disappeared into the room. Garfiel watched the closed door for several seconds before looking away. She was acting strange, suggesting that something happened that forced her to leave early. He knew better than to press for information, though. Winry could be incredibly stubborn.

In the room, Winry gave a sigh of relief. Finally, they were away from prying eyes. After laying her suitcase on the small bed, she unzipped the cloth bag fully, and smiled when Amaiy's head popped out, quickly taking in her surroundings with curiosity. She set the bag on her work table, now empty aside from some stray tools. The dragon quickly wriggled free, and flexed her wings.

"I'm glad to be out of there," she said, with no small amount of happiness. "It's so, so… Ahhh…" She couldn't stifle a yawn, and her maw split wide, revealing a pink mouth and small, sharp teeth.

"Maybe you should rest some more," Winry suggested, sitting down on the edge of a small chair that was tucked into the corner of the small room. "You've had a stressful last few days." Amaiy just nodded, settling tiredly onto the soft cloth of the bag she'd been in moments before, looking very much like a bird settling into a nest.

"Do you need anything else?" Winry asked.

"Well, I'm kinda hungry…"

"Alright, what do you want?"

"Cactus would be nice." The dragon said, wistfully. Winry started.

"You eat cactus?"

"Well, yeah. There's not much else in the desert to eat." She made a shrugging motion with her wings. "We eat fruit, too, sometimes, but that's only when we can find it."

"You don't eat meat or anything?" Amaiy shook her head.

"No, my Clan doesn't, though the other Clans do. We're the only strict vegetarians."

"…Clan?" Winry gave her a puzzled look. "You haven't said anything about clans before."

"There're five Clans," Amaiy began, and Winry, recognizing the beginning of a long explanation when she heard one, settled into her seat. "Each lives in a different place, so we don't compete for food or space. My Clan, the Solarans, live in the desert. Another Clan, the Skeltics, live in the far north, while the Aquofas, live in the southern swamps. Endolars settle in seaside caves on the west coasts, and far in the east, across the desert, the Cypherns live in tropical forests."

"Wow, you guys are a diverse group, huh?" Winry commented thoughtfully. Amaiy nodded.

"Yes, and we are differing in more than just our habitats. Though we all consider ourselves dragons, and share a language, we are very different in appearance as well. The Skeltics, for example, are really big, compared to us little Solarans, and have four legs, but no wings at all!" She seemed truly startled by this, like she couldn't comprehend a life where a dragon couldn't fly. She was about to continue, until she was seized by another yawn. Winry laughed.

"You can tell me more about your clans and stuff later, okay? You get some rest, I'll find you some fruit to eat. I'll be back in just a while. Don't leave here, okay?" The girl stood as the dragon nodded tiredly and rested her head. It had been a very long day so far, and a nap sounded good. She heard the door close just as she drifted off into the comforting darkness of sleep.

---

Much to Ed's irritation, the train was delayed by troubles with the tracks, and so they were more than an hour late. He left the train station in a huff, with Al following not far behind.

The two stepped out into the dusty streets, the sun beating heavily upon them. Ed quickly shed his red coat and his black jacket, as well as his gloves. Rush Valley was the only place he felt comfortable not covering his automail. No one asked him what had happened to his arm, seeing as most of the people there had either had automail or were mechanics, and knew that sometimes that question could be a painful one. While Al still attracted glances, they were no longer because he was a huge suit of armor. Word had gotten around that he had 'full body automail'. The two quickly made their way through the streets.

The closer Ed got to the shop where Winry worked, though, the more he dreaded it. He just knew she was going to be furious, like she always was when they didn't call before arriving, and he didn't particularly want another wrench-induced headache. Finally, the flowered sign loomed before him. With apprehension, he stepped inside. He half expected to see the familiar blonde-haired girl slaving away over some project or another, but instead, he saw a rather muscular man (though certainly not as muscular as Major Armstrong) delicately working on an automail leg. He looked up as the two brothers entered, and smiled.

"Ah, hello, boys," he said, a little too nicely. "Winry has been expecting you, though she's out at the moment." He lay what he was working on back onto the desk.

"You mean, Winry was expecting us?" Al asked, surprised.

"But we didn't call her…" Ed added, feeling confused.

"That girl is very intuitive," Garfiel replied. "Perhaps, after all this time, she just _knows_ when you're coming." The two boys exchanged disbelieving glances.

"I hope not," Ed muttered to himself, low enough that Garfiel didn't hear him, though Al did. The younger boy suppressed a laugh.

"Meanwhile," Garfiel went on, "is there anything I can do for you boys?" Both teens started, remembering the last time he asked if they wanted to wait for Winry with him.

"Er, n-no, that's alright, sir!" Al said quickly, waving his large hands.

"Yeah, we're fine waiting!" Ed continued. "Is there anywhere we can go to talk in, er private, maybe?" Garfiel looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Well, if you're sure… I suppose you could wait in Winry's room. I'm sure she won't mind." He pointed to a closed door.

"Thank you sir!" Al said hurriedly, and the two disappeared into the room.

"Thank God for that," Ed said in relief when they were inside. He leaned back against the door tiredly. "I didn't want to go back out into Rush Valley." A quick glance around revealed a small room, with white walls decorated only by automail blueprints. It was sparsely furnished, with just a small bed across from the door, a desk next on the wall beside the door where Winry could work, and a comfy chair tucked into the corner beside to it. Bright sunlight spilled past windows with closed white curtains.

"Yeah," Al replied with a nod. "I wonder where Winry went, though? And why she was really expecting us."

"What, you don't believe Garfiel's story about her intuition?" Ed asked with a sly grin.

"Don't tell me that _you_ do."

"Pfft, of course not. You're just gullible."

"Oh, gee, thanks, Brother." Al's helmet tipped up slightly, suggesting that he was rolling his eyes. Ed just grinned, but the smirk fell from his face when he heard a noise, and he stood away from the door. It was a faint, squeak, like an animal. Both boys looked towards the source of the noise, the work desk beside the door. Lying in the middle of it was a cloth bag, and on that bag was one of the strangest creatures Ed and Al had ever seen.

It had apparently been sleeping, since its large amber eyes blinked sleepily. It raised its small head sluggishly and made another noise, a string of growls that sounded almost like it was speaking. In fact, Ed was sure it was some kind of language. Something about it clicked in his head, awakening memories he didn't know he had, like some kind of strange déjà vu. After thinking for several seconds, he deciphered the meaning.

"Winry? You're back kind of soon."

Al responded before Ed could completely make sense of it.

"You know Winry?" He asked, sounding surprised. The draconic creature blinked some more, then, realizing that Al was most definitely not Winry, she squeaked in fear and spread her wings. Ed immediately realized that there were far too many for any bird he'd heard of. After doing a quick count, his suspicions were confirmed; it had four wings. One, though, was bound in bandages, with a splint. The dragon realized at the last moment that it couldn't take flight because of the wing, and quickly folded them again and attempted to crawl into the bag it was laying on.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Al said, stepping forward with an outstretched hand. "I didn't mean to startle you!" Just before he could touch it, Ed grabbed his other hand and yanked him back.

"Al, don't!" He hissed. "We don't know what it is!" At hearing the name, the dragon poked its head back out of the bag, and spoke again.

"Al?" Ed translated to himself. "Are you Alphonse Elric?"

"Er, yeah," Al replied, confused as to why the dragon knew his name.

"Oh, good! Winry told me about you. She didn't tell me you were so big, though! You surprised me." Ed blinked as his brain processed the words. It was the weirdest feeling, like his mind was a mesh sifter sifting sand, and the more sand it got rid of, the bigger the holes got. He was getting better understanding the words better already.

"How do you know Winry? What are you? How are you speaking Amestrian?" Al asked, in quick succession. The dragon was about to reply when Ed cut in.

"Amestrian?" He asked, incredulous. "That's nothing _like_ Amestrian! I have no clue how _I'm _understanding it, let alone you."

Before anything more could be said, the door opened, and a red sphere sailed through past it. It connected with Ed's head, both momentarily stunning him and knocking him off balance. He waved his arms feebly as he fell to the ground. Winry, standing in the doorway with a bag of fruit in one arm, her other hand balled into fist, glowered down at him.

"Thank you for _completely_ screwing up my plans by not calling first, in spite of how many times I've told you to," she spat acidly, then picked up the apple she had thrown, inspecting it for damage. "And for bruising my apple."

---

Ending A/N: Hope you enjoyed the bit of humor at the end. Winry threw the apple because she didn't have a wrench handy, by the way.

Also, I am looking for someone to beta this story. If you are interested, please tell me either in a PM or in your review. Basically, I'm looking for someone willing to look over this for typos, and help me some with characterization. My only criteria is the manga and have a good idea of what it going on in it.


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